


Liquid

by MsFaust



Series: Inky Tales [125]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Being an ink creature isn't so bad, Gen, Hive Mind, Liquid AU, Mental Link, Not In Chronological Order, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-05 18:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14624409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: Or, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ink."





	1. Darren

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Drops of Reality](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12793464) by [MsFaust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust). 



> If you would like to write a story in this verse, you are certainly welcome to, as long as you keep the following in mind:  
> -The following characters are to be left unharmed:  
> Wally Franks, Sammy Lawrence, Susie Campbell, Shawn Flynn, Thomas Connor  
> -The following characters may be brought in, but if they do, the story will be considered an AU of the AU:  
> Henry, Norman Polk, Grant Cohen, Allison Pendle, Lacie Benton  
> -Please be sure to tag your story with "Liquid AU" or similar tags.

When Darren had first found himself in the ink, it had been the most frightening experience of his life. He'd gone to talk to Joey about how almost a tenth of the man's employees had left for greener pastures, only to be tossed into one of the ink vats.

For what felt like an eternity, he'd tried to swim back to the surface, desperate to escape the thick liquid. But then, he'd heard the voices.

"Hey, there's somebody new in here!"

"Wonder who it is."

"Hello? Can you hear us?"

Surprised, Darren had opened his mouth to speak, only for the ink to rush down his throat. Instead of the expected feeling of drowning, however, he felt himself...well, he would say melting, but it hadn't been an unpleasant feeling.

All at once, he'd felt his mind opening, joining with the others inside the ink--Sandra, Mitchell, Vic, and several more. Unlike the ones who'd left, they'd simply disappeared. Now, he knew where they were, and he had joined them.

And it was wonderful.

Through his connection, he learned how to take a physical form once again--becoming a Searcher, as they called it. In this form, he could interact with the world outside the ink. He could see what was going on in the studio--not just the day-to-day work and the departures, but also when someone was selected for Joey's special project, too.

On the other hand, being made out of ink had its own benefits. There was a sort of freedom in being liquid that couldn't be found in a solid body. Being able to alter his shape in any way he desired, to flow like water through pipes and small openings, to swim through the studio and explore its depths...it was actually fun.

Over time, there were fewer people being added to their number, between those who quit before Joey could throw them in, and those who were successfully remade as Toons, as Joey had been hoping to achieve. Still, now and then, there was someone new for Darren to teach.

True, he did occasionally miss being flesh and blood, and he did feel a little jealous of those who became Toons. But all in all, it wasn't so bad being ink.


	2. Johnny

Trembling in fear as he descended even further into the workshop's depths, Johnny couldn't help but wonder what would become of him. He remembered the list of names he'd spotted in several places--the woman who had once been Lauren Blondell had told him that it was Joey's 'Invite Back' list. Unsurprisingly, it had been pretty small, as most of those who worked here had reasons to turn their backs on Sillyvision:

-Henry was the first to leave after an argument with Joey--over what, no one knew for sure.  
-Wally finally ran out of patience after a particularly bad day, and made good on his vow to leave, though not before vandalizing Joey's office while the director was down in the toy department.  
-Sammy had taken a job composing songs at another animation company, which had a far less hostile work environment.  
-Susie walked out after Joey refused to explain why he'd reassigned the role of Alice Angel.  
-Norman retired after his health began to decline, although to be fair, most of that was simply age catching up with him.  
-Shawn left after Joey's near-OCD perfectionism became too much for him, only a day before Wally quit.  
-Allison took Susie's advice and made a hasty departure after Joey called her Alice one too many times.  
-Thomas had gotten fed up with all the repairs he had to make to the Ink Machine, leading Joey to hire a guy named Murray Hill in Thomas' place.  
-Grant realized that the company wouldn't last much longer, due to Joey's erratic financial habits, and decided not to go down with the ship.

And that was just the people whose voices he'd heard in the tapes lying around the studio. More than once, he thanked his lucky stars they were OK.

Then there were the employees who'd disappeared before the studio shut down--unexplainable at the time, but now Johnny had a pretty good idea of where they had gone. Between all that and what he'd experienced since he'd first reentered the building, he was wondering why he'd come back at all.

Given how lost in thought the pianist was, he failed to notice the ink pond at the bottom of the stairs until he tripped and fell forward. The ink tried to force itself into his lungs, to drag him under and never let go, but he was able to surface multiple times. Eventually, he reached the other side, pulling himself out and gasping for breath.

Only once he caught his breath did he notice that the ink had transformed him. Everything about him looked more cartoon-like, from the four fingers on his hands to the lack of visible elbows and knees. His breathing became more rapid as he grabbed his head and gave a firm tug, only for the skin to stretch beyond normal human elasticity.

No, no, no! This can't be happening!

He let go, and his cheeks snapped back. Burying his face in his hands, he tried not to weep in despair.

"I'm never getting out of here, am I?"

Without warning, a loud crash caught his attention. A moment later, a large crate came flying down the hallway, slamming into Johnny and leaving him flat on the floor. Being newly Toonified, however, he popped back into shape almost instantly.

That didn't hurt at all, he realized. Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of cool things Toons could do.

Maybe...this won't be so bad after all...

Getting to his feet, he spotted what looked like Charley chasing after Edgar, both looking as they did in the show.

"Wolfgang, get your *bike bell* back here!"

Hearing the sound effect replacing the curse, Johnny smiled, his fear melting like the snow in spring. Yes, most of the people who once worked at the studio were blissfully unaware of what had become of their peers, but if he had to be honest, they were kind of missing out.


	3. Ida

Given the size of Bertrum Piedmont's ego, it made sense that he'd want to be immortalized in some form. So when he found out that one of Joey's major goals was to cheat death, he talked the studio director into letting him be involved. While Bertrum's mechanization was done with his consent, however, the rest of the amusement park staff were forcibly turned into living masses of ink, including Bertrum's assistant and ex-wife Ida. For a long time, they'd bemoaned their state, wishing they could be restored to their old selves and go home. Then one fateful day, Ida got fed up and went looking for her husband--even though she knew he wouldn't be able or willing to undo what Joey did, he still deserved a piece of her mind.

But outside the room which held Bertrum's first creation--the carousel that now contained his spirit--she ran into one of the former studio employees, who showed her that her liquid form was fully under her control, enabling her to take any shape she wanted. That revelation gave Ida a new perspective--while she had not undergone her transformation willingly, it wasn't really much of a curse at all. She was quick to share this knowledge with the others, who likewise were amazed by the malleability of their bodies. Emboldened and reinvigorated, they decided that once they'd gotten a sufficient amount of practice, they'd take down the man who'd let them suffer for so long.

Only a few days later, they swarmed the room where Bertrum resided--the barricade meant little now that they could simply ooze through the cracks--and set about wreaking havoc. As most of them laid waste to the arms of the carousel, Ida and a trio of others slipped into its inner workings and destroyed the machinery. Ida herself took great pleasure in hearing the futile pleas and dying wail of her former husband.

With Bertrum gone, they took over the park, turning it into their personal playground. Like the other residents of the studio, they'd realized there was freedom in being living ink.

True, they would never regain their old lives, but their new ones were rather satisfying.


	4. Jack

Jack's initial reaction to becoming an ink creature was denial, as one might expect. Desperately trying to convince himself he was just having some bad dream, he tried throwing himself off a ledge, thinking that he'd wake up before he hit the floor. Not only did he not wake up, but after briefly being splattered across the floor, he reformed completely unharmed.

He probably would have gone through the anger and depression stages as well, but just as he finished pulling himself together, he noticed that his hat was lying just out of reach. Never comfortable going without a hat in public, he made to move towards it, only for his arm to grow to almost six feet to snatch the headwear from the floor, and making him jolt in surprise.

As his arm returned to its previous length, Jack felt his fear melt away, replaced by wonder. He placed his other hand to his head and concentrated ever so slightly, and beneath his fingertips, he felt the featureless mask morph into an inky replica of his human face.

With slowly growing amazement, he started experimenting, stretching and morphing his liquid form into different shapes. It seemed the only limit to his new malleability was his imagination. That, and his inability to return to flesh and blood form, but he didn't really mind any more.

And it wasn't long before he was no longer the only ink creature in the studio.


	5. Expansion

"Quiet down, everybody!"

Hearing Jack's shout, the gathered Searchers, Toons and other assorted ink creatures immediately ceased their chatter and paid attention, eager to hear why the first Searcher had called this meeting.

"Thank you. Lens, if you would?"

Nodding, the Projectionist tapped the side of his head. Upon the wall behind Jack, a list of names was projected:

-Henry Walters  
-Wally Franks  
-Sammy Lawrence  
-Susie Campbell  
-Norman Polk  
-Shawn Flynn  
-Allison Pendle  
-Thomas Connor  
-Grant Cohen  
-Lacie Benton

Many more names followed, a few of which were marked with an X.

"You all know this, right? The list of folks who Joey ain't calling back, for one reason or another?"

Everyone nodded.

"Something or someone made it so as long as there were people on that list in town, no one who came in here would be able to exit the barrier around the studio--assuming, of course, that they became ink or a Toon."

"But almost everyone on the list moved away, and the rest passed on," continued Aaron, adjusting his mask as he joined Jack at the front of the room. "So now that they're 'out of harm's way,' the barrier grew to cover the town."

Les raised a hand. "Uh, suppose one of 'em comes back...?"

"Not gonna happen," Jack reassured the voice actor-turned-cartoon sailor. "The barrier also keeps the folks on the list out. If they get too close, they'll get the urge to turn back, and even if they wanted to get in, they couldn't."

Aaron gestured to the Projectionist, who tapped his head, causing the list to be replaced by a birds-eye view map of the town. Nodding his thanks, the former band conductor continued.

"As I was saying, now that the barrier covers the town, we aren't stuck in here any more. However, there's still the other townspeople to keep in mind. They don't know what's happened to us, and they may take it badly. In addition, the ink isn't confined to the studio any more either--the barrier is the only thing keeping it contained. So the way I see it, it's only a matter of time before it gets out of the studio."

"Which leads us to this," Jack continued, gesturing to the Projectionist, who replaced the map with two rows of small pictures. Each of the pictures in the top row depicted two stick figures, one of which was clearly intended to be Bendy while the other was a person. The Bendy figure in each picture was engaged in some form of cartoon antics with the human as his target. In the set on the bottom row, however, each human stick figure was replaced by a crude drawing of a grinning Searcher or laughing copy of Bendy.

"You all know of the ink's transformative effects on living things. And you know what we're capable of doing. In all frankness, I figure a 'preemptive strike', so to speak, will make things go more smoothly than just waiting and letting the ink do all the work."

"Getting it over with quickly versus dragging it out," Johnny summarized.

Jack nodded before stretching an arm to point to a few of the pictures. "Remember when we found out that using Toon physics on someone who isn't a Toon turns 'em into one? Between that, and how easy it is to make new Searchers, it shouldn't be hard to get the job done."

He looked around. "Any questions?"

"Just one." Les raised his hand. "When do we start?"

Everyone nodded. More than a few of them had loved ones they wanted to see again, and they had the chance to bring them in to join the party.

This was going to be fun.


End file.
